It’s hard being European, what with all the constant promiscuous unprotected sex we’re all mandated to have all of the time. It’s a wonder anyone gets anything done – for example, it’s a wonder a PR company found the time in amongst all of the #shagging to put together this particular piece of PR for an online pharmacy:

The survey of 1,000 adults was carried out by DrEd.com – an online pharmacy and heath advice site.

We are, alas, a nation of lying philanderers, putting our sexual health and that of our partner at risk because of our insatiable lust for sex with strangers. Or so says this survey, commissioned to promote an online pharmacy:

Michael Ross, spokesperson for online pharmacy Medexpress.co.uk, which carried out the survey said: ‘It is also shocking to see how many people would actually lie if they had an STI.

‘Sexually transmitted infections should be taken seriously and willingly lying and then sleeping with someone, especially if you aren’t willing to wear protection, is outright nasty.

‘We urge people to be honest with anyone they plan to be sleeping with; this will help prevent the unnecessary spreading of sexually transmitted diseases.’

MedExpress, our online doctor and pharmacy client, recently undertook a study looking into the sexual behaviours and attitudes of Britons between 18 and 45 years old.

The results of the study brought to lie some absolute shockers (or not, if you’re more the wild kind), such as;

– 76% wouldn’t admit to having an STI
– A further 8% wouldn’t use extra protection if they found out they had an STI
– 32% lie about the number of people they’ve slept with

There were far more shockers in the release that went out, including how many people it’s acceptable to admit to sleeping with to a potential partner (seriously, go check it out)…

In the meantime though, we wanted to show off some of the great coverage we’ve had through off the back of pushing this release out…

Good to see a PR company happy to throw people with STIs under the bus in order to promote their client. And people wonder why I call for more ethical PR practices.

*UPDATE: I spoke to Dr Petra Boynton, a social psychologist specialising in sex and relationships research. She explained to me the potential harm of PR stories like this:

I don’t think calling people ‘nasty’ for not disclosing if they have an STI is okay. Many people don’t know they have infections, or may not realise until after they’ve had sex with others. It’s very rare people really do know and deliberately infect other people (and that’s a whole, complex situation in itself). This kind of shaming is what puts people off going to clinics for help as they fear that’s how healthcare staff will relate to them.

The overall tone also is hugely stigmatising around STIs and maintains the whole idea they’re shameful and embarrassing – so much so that people lie about it and what bastards they are for doing so.

Forget security and body-confidence, men – you should be just as insecure about any unsightly veins or blemishes as the media forces women to be! Or, at least, that’s the view of the company behind this particular article:

Doctors at Veincentre, a chain of specialist vein-removal clinics, claim to have carried out more than 10,000 procedures since 2010.

‘Exercise does not cause varicose veins but it can exaggerate their appearance for the period straight after exercise’, said Dr David West, medical director at the clinic.

‘Men in the gym will notice this. It looks great to have prominent veins on the arms and biceps but bulging leg veins are not so appealing.’

‘One of the emerging key drivers is the cosmetic embarrassment,’ said Dr West.

‘Men want to wear shorts for sport, go swimming with kids, just look good in summer and not have to wear long trousers all the time.’

One of the key drivers may well be cosmetic embarrassment, but one of the key drivers of that is clearly stories like this in the media, placed by those who profit from that embarrassment.